Travis Kvapil Bio

Wisconsin native, Travis Kvapil, is one of many racers who has reached success in NASCAR after developing his success from the racing circuits in the Midwest.  Kvapil grew up surrounded by cars and spent his childhood learning the mechanics of racing in his father's shop.  This interest in cars and racing as a young child naturally led to the makings of a future NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver.

By the young age of 14, Kvapil was competing at Rockford Speedway in nearby Rockford Illinois.  Shortly after his beginnings in short track racing, Kvapil won the American Short Tracker division track championship in 1994 when he was just 18 years old.  Following his time at Rockford Speedway, Kvapil moved up the ranks in the racing circuits and began to race super late models at Madison International Speedway.  Billed as "Wisconsin's Fastest Half Mile," Madison proved to be no match for Kvapil who earned Rookie of the Year honors in 1995 following his first season of competition.  Kvapil returned to the series in 1996 where he showcased another strong season of racing which led to Kvapil being named the youngest super late model track champion in Madison International Speedway's history.
 
Kvapil's next step following the super late models was to the ARTGO Series.  The ARTGO Series was an asphalt short track motor racing touring series in the Midwest.  Kvapil finished in the top-10 in points every season in the ARTGO Series from 1998 to 2000.

Following his 2000 season, Kvapil got the chance he had been working away so diligently for his entire racing career.  Kvapil was offered an opportunity to drive the #60 entry for Addington Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, one of NASCAR's most elite racing divisions.  Kvapil's debut in the Craftsman Truck Series came at Daytona International Speedway on February 16, 2001 where he went on to finish ninth and posted his first top-ten finish of his rookie season.  Kvapil went on to score 11 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes in 2001 out of 24 starts.  Kvapil also earned his first win in the series at Texas Motor Speedway on October 5, 2001.  With his strong debut in the series, Kvapil earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2001 and went on to finish his first season fourth in the driver point standings.

In 2002, Kvapil once again teamed up with Addington Racing for his sophomore season in the Craftsman Truck Series.  Kvapil earned his second Craftsman Truck Series trip to Victory Lane when he won at Memphis Motorsports Park on June 22, 2002.  With statistics similar to his 2001 season, Kvapil finished the 2002 season with ten top-five and 14 top-ten finishes for the year.

Kvapil went on to sign with Xpress Motorsports in 2003 and drove the #16 truck.  The season provided Kvapil to add another victory to his resume when he took the checkered flag at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 20, 2003.  Kvapil's season with Xpress Motorsports found him with 13 top-five and 22 top-ten finishes in 24 starts.  Kvapil also earned his first Craftsman Truck Series Championship after edging out Dennis Setzer by nine points to take the title.

2004 once again for Kvapil in a different truck when he signed with Bang! Racing to drive the #24 truck for Alexander Meshkin.  During that season, Kvapil brought home a pair of wins at Michigan International Speedway and New Hampshire International Speedway as well as six top-five and ten top-ten finishes.  Towards the end of the 2004 season, Roger Penske asked Kvapil to drive the #06 for three races and Kvapil made his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start on October 24th at Martinsville Speedway where he qualified fifth and finished 21st.

Penske, who was impressed by Kvapil's ability behind the wheel, signed Kvapil to drive the #77 for the 2005 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Penske Racing.    In 36 starts of his rookie season in the Sprint Cup Series, Kvapil earned two top-ten finishes and completed 90 percent of the total possible laps.  Unfortunately the #77 team closed its doors at the end of the season, and Kvapil was offered a contract with PPI Motorsports with the #32 car for 2006.  The 2006 season proved to be trying from Kvapil as he struggled to be competitive with his under-funded team at PPI Motorsports.

Opportunity knocked on Kvapil's door in the form of Jack Roush in 2006 when Roush approached Kvapil about driving the #6 Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for 2007.  Kvapil was thrilled to have the opportunity to realign himself with an established race team and his sights were set on trying to claim another Craftsman Truck Series championship.

Kvapil achieved tremendous success during the 2007 season as he achieved four wins, three poles, eight top-fives, and twelve top-ten finishes with Roush Fenway Racing.  Kvapil also finished sixth in the Craftsman Truck Series driver point standings for 2007.

--To find out more about Travis, please visit www.TravisKvapil.com.
--To join Colin's online Fan Club, please visit www.RoushFenwayFanSite.com.